Meet Knicks rookie Tyler Kolek, Marquette’s underdog ‘winning guy’ who was constantly overlooked

Editor’s Note: This story was originally published June 24, 2024.

Marquette Golden Eagles guard Tyler Kolek is a plug-and-play prospect who will bring a sense of grittiness and competitiveness to the next level.

Kolek, a consensus second-team All-American, was one of the best players in NCAA men’s college basketball last season. He was the NCAA season assists leader after averaging 15.3 points and 7.7 assists per game as a senior. Kolek had previously won Big East Player of the Year in 2023.

But before that, he was a mid-major standout at George Mason University. Yet proving people wrong continues to fuel his outstanding play, as he told For The Win during a recent interview.

“That chip on my shoulder, I’ve got to play that way each and every game to survive. That’s where it comes from. I was that overlooked guy,” Kolek said. “I wasn’t a five-star. I wasn’t a top-100 recruit. I wasn’t a highly recruited guy. I’ve been able to get where I am through that toughness and that chip on my shoulder and playing with that feistiness every time I step on the floor.”

He uses his exceptional court vision and playmaking to elevate the play of those around him.

Per Stats Perform, 24.6 percent of his passes led directly to a shot, which is the most of any player included on the latest consensus big board.

“I just really want to find a role on a team and really help winning,” Kolek added. “I feel like I’m a winning guy. I feel like the intangibles I bring kind of carry over to that. What I bring to a team will definitely be toughness, competitiveness, I’m just looking to build a culture wherever I go.”

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Watch Episode 5 of Prospect Park, a video series featuring future NBA players brought to you by USA TODAY Sports and For The Win:

What should NBA teams know about you?

I’m just trying to convey how much of a competitor I am and how much of a leader I am, what I can really bring to an organization. A team is picking me to be an addition, not a subtraction to their organization. I want to show them all the qualities that I have that can uplift their culture and all of the other things that they value. I bring toughness on the floor. Leadership on the floor. Leadership in the locker room. I’m going to be a rookie this year but I feel like I’m pretty mature. I can bring that older vibe to a younger team or try to learn from veterans if I do join a locker room with a lot of veterans. I’m just open to being a sponge and really learning and eating up as much as I can.

How do you use your playmaking to impact winning?

I like to say I create shots with a pass. My pace in the ball screen, the way I can find guys with different angles, it’s something I love to do: Seeing a guy make a shot off my pass. A lot of guys like to score but that’s what brings me the most joy is getting an assist. It was ingrained in me from a young age: Being able to share the ball, playing team basketball, and a team game. To win one-on-five, you need everyone on the floor to be contributing. The ball has energy behind it. I really believe that. The more it gets zipping around, the more energy you’ll have on the offensive end and the more energy you’ll have on the defensive end and everyone will be feeling good with themselves.

How are you able to score near the basket so well?

I’m super crafty. I’m not an above-the-rim guy. I’m not going to dunk on you or anything like that. But just working on my touch, my floaters around the rim, my wide finishes. I have to get creative. You watch all these guys in the NBA. There are a lot of guys that don’t have the leaping ability. Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, Jalen Brunson, those type of guys. They still get it done at at a really high level. So just trying to emulate stuff that they do. Take bits and pieces from everybody’s game that would benefit mine and just constantly working on it. That was something I really improved on when I got to Marquette was my finishing package just because there are bigger, taller, more athletic guys in high-major basketball. I wasn’t accustomed to that before but after I got one year under my belt there, I really figured out what I needed to work on and get better at and I really tapped into all of the finishing stuff.

What led to you becoming a potential first-round pick?

I definitely couldn’t have pictured this a couple of years ago. It’s crazy to think about. I talk about it with my friends and my family. I still have a long way to go, obviously. I’m not a finished product by any means but to get to this point, all the hard work and dedication that I put into it and everyone sees it. Everyone sees it. Everyone that’s been around me on this journey is like: ‘Wow. I’m really impressed with how hard you worked and how dedicated you are.’ A lot of guys to get to this level have to be that. But I feel like I’ve taken it to another level. I really appreciated this process for that.

MORE: